It brings bug fixes for emoticon issues and a few performance improvements

Mar 11, 2014 08:05 GMT  ·  By

BlackBerry has just released another update for its BBM instant messaging application for Android devices. The update is specifically aimed at Android and will not be available on iOS, so those who own smartphones powered by Google’s mobile platform should look for an update on Google Play Store if they already have BBM installed.

If you expected BlackBerry to bring new features, as it did with the previous version, you will be disappointed, but fret not as the latest iteration contains some necessary bug fixes and small improvements that should enhance the application’s overall performance.

According to BlackBerry, in addition to the new features delivered in the v2.0 release, this version of BBM brings a long-awaited fix to enable sharing of emoticons in status updates.

This issue was reported by Android users in the past and thankfully, BlackBerry has found the time to address it in between projects.

Several other issues that some BBM for Android users may have experienced when receiving a URL in a BBM chat have been corrected as well.

This bug was widespread as well, but not all Android users were affected by it. Nevertheless, those affected should update to the latest version in order to get rid of it.

Furthermore, BlackBerry’s engineers have managed to improve response time when opening BBM chat and group screen, which is meant to enhance users’ overall experience.

Last but not least, several under the hood changes have been included in the update with the sole purpose of optimizing the battery life when on a BBM Voice call.

The BBM Voice call feature has been introduced in the previous update, but for unknown reasons, it drained the phone’s battery faster than it should.

BBM for Android (screenshots)
BBM for Android (screenshots)
These are all the changes confirmed by BlackBerry for this update, but the Canadian company has big plans for the coming months. We have already reported on the latest BBM features that are being tested in the beta versions and are likely to make their way onto Google Play Store sometime in the not so distant future.

Apart from BBM Video, BlackBerry plans to bring Groups notifications settings to Android users, but also ads to BBM Channels, which will be strictly controlled by the company.

BlackBerry is also researching the possibility of adding paid custom BBM PINs, but the company has yet to decide whether or not this would be a good marketing move.

Long-time users should wait for the update to become available, whereas new users can now download BBM for Android 2.0.0.19 for free via Softpedia. Keep in mind that the application should be fully compatible with most devices powered by Android 2.3 and up.

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